Weddings offer the perfect opportunity for couples to embrace wedding traditions tied to familial cultural roots. Among polish wedding
traditions, one that many brides and grooms choose to include on their wedding day is the bread and salt tradition.
Historically, bread and salt is at the center of traditional welcome ceremonies in Slavic and European cultures as well as Middle Eastern cultures. Over time it has been adopted as a pleasant and meaningful way to celebrate two families coming together as the parents of the bride and groom welcome the newlywed couple to the wedding reception.
Bread and salt tradition
While the bread and salt wedding tradition is a European tradition, its origins are generally attributed to Poland where the welcoming with bread and salt is an honored custom. Today it is most often observed as part of the wedding celebration as newlyweds are greeted with bread and salt by their parents at the wedding reception. An announcement is made:
“This is a long cherished Polish tradition which has been passed down through the centuries. It symbolizes the union of the Bride and Groom and their families.”
The parents of the bride and groom greet
the newlyweds with a loaf of wedding
bread sprinkled with salt and a glass of wine. The parents say,
"According to our Old Polish tradition, we greet you with bread and salt
so that your home might always enjoy abundance." Then they offer the bread
to the newlyweds to eat followed by a glass of wine from which the bride and
groom drink. The parents then kiss the bride and groom and welcome
then to the family.
Symbolism of bread and salt ceremony
- Bread: Represents the parents' hope that their children will never experience hunger or need.
- Salt: Salt sprinkled on the bread is a reminder to the couple that their life may be difficult at times, and they must learn to cope with life's struggles together.
- Wine: Wine symbolizes the parents' hope that the bride and groom will never thirst and will have a life of good health and cheer and that they will share the company of many good friends.
- Kiss: This parents' kiss is a symbol of their love and unity.
Sta Lot
The bread and salt ceremony concludes with the song Sta Lot. It wishes good luck to the couple that lasts for 100 years. This celebration is big and wedding guests really enjoy it. Here is a rough translation of the main verse:
May their star of prosperity
Never extinguish!
Never extinguish!
And whoever won't sing with us
May they sleep under the table!
May they sleep under the table!
At the conclusion of this short ceremony, the bride, groom, and their parents proceed to their tables and await the saying of grace before the meal.
Photo credits: Forever Video, Polishroots